Aftermath
by SheeWolf85
Summary: A girl and a guy get together for one very drunk night.  He doesn't remember, but she does.  In the aftermath, they find love can heal the wounds of the past.  Jake/Nessie, AH.  Rated M for language and some sexual references. Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! It's been a while, no? Well, if you're still following me, then I hope you enjoy this little bit of insanity. Thank you much to betas Starshinedown and Sheynondoah.

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**Aftermath**

Chapter 1

**~*~JPOV~*~**

"Oh god," I groaned, turning my head to the side. My face was suddenly in a pile of hair and I turned my head the other way to get out of it, groaning again. My head hurt. My back hurt. My fingers stung like hell.

There was another groan beside me. Softer, feminine. I cracked an eyelid and curiously peeked over at my side where the mound of hair had been. At first, all I could see was hair. Dark reddish-brown hair that strangely reminded me of October. I focused and sat up on my elbows to see more clearly. The hair beside me belonged to a woman and she was laying on her stomach beside me only half covered by the blanket. Her top half was bare like mine, showing me a perfectly sculpted back with smooth skin. A brief flash of a memory of touching soft skin hit me. I realized then that I was naked. That probably meant she was too.

I blinked a few times to orient myself. I was in my bedroom, but hell if I knew how I'd gotten there or who this girl was. She groaned again and turned her head into her hair, shifting her body a little. As she moved, the sheet moved down her hips a little more, exposing a fresh tattoo on her left hip. I furrowed my brow and sat up to get a better look. It was surprising and a little more than arousing to see the words 'wolf girl' tattooed on her hip in small, delicate print. I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts and regretted it the second the room started spinning.

I flopped back down on the bed, making her bounce a little next to me. She groaned and lifted her head, her face shrouded in hair. She pushed her hair back and groaned again. I smiled; whoever this girl was, she was beautiful with a flawless pale complexion and pink lips. Her eyes were closed, but looked like they'd be wide. I was a sucker for wide eyes. She didn't open her eyes, and I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or not. She mumbled something I couldn't make out and turned on her side away from me, pulling the sheet up around her shoulders. I decided she could sleep in and sat up again to swing my legs over the side of the bed.

I got up and steadied myself as I swayed, my head swimming. I grabbed my shorts and pulled them on, hissing when the fabric brushed over my fingers. I held up my hands and furrowed my brow. I didn't remember having a tattoo on my fingers. There was a letter on each finger to spell out 'wolf' on one hand and 'pack' on the other. I groaned. The guys and I must've gotten more wasted than I thought. I sucked in a yawn and swayed again before picking up the mysterious woman's clothing and putting them up on the bed for her. She whimpered and flopped onto her back, the sheet uncovering her arm and part of her leg. I turned away before my other brain could convince me to touch her while she was sleeping. Probably not much worse than touching her while she was drunk, but I wasn't about to do it anyway.

I walked out to the living room to find Quil sprawled over the couch with Claire passed out on top of him. Embry was on the floor with his head lying on Stacie's stomach. She was just as passed out as the rest of them. It wasn't unusual to have people passed out in my living room after a party; I'd rather they stayed here than try to drive home anyway. Jared's wife, Kim, was pregnant and didn't drink, so I assumed she'd taken her husband home along with Paul and his wife (also my sister) Rachel.

I swayed again and stumbled my way into the kitchen to make coffee and try to remember more of the night before. I remembered the barbecue and the beer, but things started getting fuzzy after making old man jokes about Sam when he and his wife Emily left after only a few drinks.

When the coffee was ready, I poured myself a cup and winced when my fingers curled around the handle. I smirked to myself; you know it was a good party when you wake up with a tattoo.

I took a drink and sighed; I couldn't even remember when Embry and Stacie showed up, although I did remember that Stacie was bringing a friend. Was the girl in my bed her friend?

I figured I should probably wake her up and see if she needed to be anywhere today. But truthfully, I was scared to wake her up. She was naked in my bed which probably meant we'd had sex. I didn't remember it, but what if she did and wanted something I couldn't give her? I groaned and finished my coffee, put my cup down, and walked down the hall back to my room.

**~*~NPOV~*~**

The pounding in my head was almost welcome next to the searing pain in my back and hip. Specifically my left hip. I rolled over again to try to get comfortable but the bed was lumpy and I was hot. I kicked the blankets off of me and a wave of cool air rushed over me. It felt good, but suddenly I was too exposed. The air hit me in places I didn't know were uncovered. I groaned when I realized I was naked. I squeezed my eyes shut and finally looked up, opening my eyes slowly.

As I looked around the unfamiliar room, the night before started seeping back into my memory. I remembered going with my friend Stacie to a party held by one of her boyfriend's friends on the Quileute reservation. My sister Bella had told me not to go, but she had issues with them because her boyfriend Edward had issues. I had rolled my eyes at her and gone with Stacie anyway.

One thing I had always envied about Stacie was her boyfriend. He was tall, dark, strong, sexy… all the things a man should be. Embry was only one of eight tall, hot guys at the party, though, so I couldn't be too upset. Even better was that a few of them were single. The party had been in full swing when Stacie and I got there and almost everybody was either already drunk or on their way. I remember throwing caution to the wind and flirting like hell with every unattached male there. They all seemed interested, but once I met Jacob I knew he was the one I wanted. He was everything I had envied about Embry: tall, dark with russet skin and short black hair, strong and sexy. His lopsided smile made him seem friendly and carefree while his intense dark eyes contradicted, making him seem mysterious and dangerous. He was taller than the rest, I guessed about six and a half feet, and had already lost his shirt.

I'd never been much of a beer drinker, but I decided to go with the flow last night and see where it took me. I managed to suck down two beers before Jacob brought out some harder liquor. The whiskey burned my throat and the rum tasted worse than stale alka-seltzer. The vodka, however, I liked. A lot.

Jacob was a whiskey guy. He drank almost as much whiskey as I drank vodka. After the first few drinks, my inhibitions were already starting to go. The guys started a fire and as some danced around it, daring others to jump through or over it, I snuggled myself up to Jacob and drank straight from the vodka bottle. He held me close to his bare chest as he drank his whiskey and laughed with the other partygoers. As I looked out around the fire, I noticed Stacie getting hot and bothered by Embry who had his tongue halfway down her throat and his hand down her pants. I looked up at Jacob and wondered what he would think of me if I kissed him. My rational thinking was gone and when he looked down at me I grabbed his hair and pulled him down to me, planting my lips on his. He didn't seem to mind. In fact, he grabbed me just as tightly and shoved his tongue in my mouth.

The drinking didn't stop there. When my bottle of vodka was gone, I shared Jacob's whiskey with him. It didn't burn as bad now that I was sufficiently numb.

It was around midnight or so when someone decided to bring out the tattoo equipment. Paul, one of Jacob's friends, was a tattoo artist and knew what he was doing even when he was plastered. Someone had the bright idea of calling the group a wolf pack and they all branded themselves with the name. Stacie and I, along with two other girlfriends that I'd met but had forgotten their names, decided that if they were a wolf pack, we were their wolf girls. They each got a tattoo somewhere and I decided what the hell; I got one on my hip.

Jacob held my hand as I got the tattoo, not even wincing when I squeezed his bleeding fingers where he had gotten his. Once it was done we drank and danced and partied some more. Jacob and I made out more and it was after two in the morning when I decided I wasn't going to wait any longer. The alcohol mixed with my hormones made me want him like I'd never wanted anything before in my life. I all but dragged him into the house and he took over, throwing me over his shoulder to take me to his room.

I shook my head and groaned again as I sat up on Jacob's bed. My clothes were on the bed next to me where he had probably slept. My head swam as I slowly and carefully pulled everything on, trying to avoid the stinging in my hip where the tattoo was.

I sat down on the bed with my head in my hands, just trying to make the throbbing go away. I'd never had a hangover this bad before. I took a deep breath and thought about standing up to find my way back home, but before I could even try my stomach churned. I looked up and found the bathroom, stumbling my way there before I threw up. Thankfully I made it.

After the first few heaves I laid my head on the rim of the toilet; the coolness felt good on my skin.

I heard footsteps but somehow it didn't match up in my brain that someone was there until the door swung open wider and someone spoke.

"You okay?" Jacob asked, standing there in just the surfer shorts he'd been in last night. I groaned; this was not how I wanted to see him this morning. He chuckled a little and sat down on the edge of the bath to gather my hair up. "That good, huh?"

I sat up and wiped my face with my arm before looking up at him. He was somehow even better looking now without the haze of alcohol. I groaned again.

"We have coffee; would you like some? It helps."

"Sure."

He helped me stand up and I rinsed my mouth out before following him out to the living room. I held onto his arm, thankful that he was steadier than I was. He still swayed a bit, but it was nothing like my stumbling over my own feet. As we walked, I found myself admiring him the way I'd done last night. His skin was smooth and the color of caramel. I thought about licking him to see if he tasted like it, but I managed to keep myself in line. For all the restraint I had, I couldn't stop myself from feeling his bicep. I could see why Edward was cautious when it came to these guys; they were buff in the extreme. He smirked at me as we reached the kitchen.

Jacob poured some coffee for me and lifted me up on the counter so I could sit. He sat next to me, his hands clasped together between his knees as he leaned forward on his elbows. He just sat there, staring down, and I wondered briefly if he felt obligated to be in here with me. The thought made it a little difficult to swallow the hot coffee; I didn't want Jacob to regret being with me. I sure as hell didn't regret being with him.

"I, um…" he started before clearing his throat and looking up at me. He just looked at me for a minute before shaking his head and looking back down. My stomach dropped and I tried hard to keep from crying. What else could I have expected? I all but attacked him when he was drunk; possibly drunker than I was. He cleared his throat again and sighed.

"I really hate to admit this, but I don't remember anything that happened last night. I don't even know your name." He shook his head again and looked up at me apologetically.

Somehow his lack of memory sat better with me than the thought of him regretting it. I smiled a little and took another sip of coffee.

"It's okay. You probably drank more than I did. My name's Renesmee Dwyer."

He nodded and sighed again. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "Don't be. I'm the one that came on to you."

He sat up a little and stared down at me. "You remember what happened?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, I do. I remember it remarkably well for how much I drank, actually."

He smiled a little and bent back down to rest his elbows on his knees. "Was I at least somewhat nice to you?"

I smiled involuntarily, remembering the positions we'd found ourselves in. "You were very nice to me."

He chuckled. "From the look on your face, it must have been a good night. I wish I could remember it." He shook his head again and hopped down from the counter.

There was a part of me that wanted to keep the memories of last night to myself. I wanted to cherish the things he said to me as he touched me gently and the way he seemed to lose any sense of being gentle as he lost himself in me. I'd never felt more cared for or desired as I did last night. I closed my eyes and reminded myself that we'd both been drunk and he probably wasn't like that all the time. Hell, my memory could have been skewed from the alcohol. Even so, it didn't take away from the euphoria of being desired.

I finished my coffee and he took the cup from me. "Feel any better?" he asked as he helped me down.

"A little. I'm not used to drinking so much." I swayed a little and he held onto me.

"Today's Saturday. I think. You need to be anywhere?" He kept hold of me as we walked back to the living room.

"No, today's my day off. It's why I came to the party with Stacie; she said I needed to let loose so I did." I shrugged and he chuckled.

"I'd say so."

He kicked Quil's foot as we passed him and the other man stirred, almost dropping the girl that was on him onto the floor. Jacob chuckled and Quil smacked his leg. I smiled and Jacob sat down on the unoccupied couch, pulling me onto his lap.

"This okay?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around me.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes." I was thrilled that he obviously wanted to be near me. I rested against him, my head on his shoulder. Quil didn't have much trouble going back to sleep after he resituated himself and his girl on the couch. Stacie and Embry were still gone, lying together on a makeshift bed on the floor.

"So tell me what happened last night?" he said, rubbing my arm. "I mean, before whatever happened, happened. I sort of remember getting the beer out, but pretty much everything after that is a blank."

I smiled and couldn't stop myself from touching his chest. His skin was smooth and he had only a few hairs spread out over his strong chest. I told him what I remembered of the night, including my flirting with him and kissing him. He laughed when I told him about the tattoos. I hid my face in his chest, embarrassed when I told him about how I'd all but dragged him into the house. I didn't want to tell him about the sex; I'd literally lost any sense of modesty or discretion and we both found ourselves in some very creative positions. Those positions were the cause of my backache. In some way, it made me happy that he didn't remember how wild I'd been.

"I guess now would probably be a good time to tell you that I'm not like that usually. I don't think I've ever been so drunk in my life, but I'm not a slut like that." I prayed he didn't think of me like that.

He smiled and hugged me a little tighter. "Don't worry; I'm not the type to just take a girl and forget about her. I'd like to at least get to know you and hopefully we can be friends. Or maybe more."

I knew he couldn't know how badly I did want to get to know him and have a chance at being more than friends. Somehow when I was with him – granted I was drunk through most of it – I felt happier than I'd felt in a long time. He just made me happy. I smiled up at him.

"I'd like that."

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A/N: So there you have it... chapter one. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you think of it... Or you can follow me on twitter - twitter(dot)com/SheeWolf85


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I heart you all! Thank you also to the wonderful betas mcsc2008 and CapriciousC. I am going to have a very busy day tomorrow, so I decided to get the editing done and post tonight! You guys deserve it :)

A few notes on this story. First and foremost, it is rated M for language and some sexual references, not graphic lemons. So if you're hoping for lemons, I'm sorry to disappoint. I do, however, have some lemony outtakes that I might post. I haven't decided yet… Reviews might sway my decision (Does that make me evil? Mwahaha!). Keep in mind, however, that if I do decide to post them it won't be until after this story has been completely posted.

Second note: this story will be six chapters long and is already completely written, just taking a while going through beta. I will update as regularly as possible, and anticipate an update every week depending on beta. Although it is completely written, I would love to hear your thoughts and speculations. Let me know what _you_ think happened between Edward and Jacob.

So with that, enjoy the second chapter of Aftermath!

Reviews are the cream in my oreos!

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**Aftermath**

Chapter 2

**~*~JPOV~*~**

Her smile made me smile. I wished I could be enough of a jackass to ask for details about the sex, but she seemed embarrassed just talking about how she kissed me. From the smile on her face and the look in her eyes, it seemed like it was good to her.

But in the end, I tried not to think about it and just hoped that we could get to know each other and someday have a repeat performance. I wasn't lying to her when I told her I wasn't the type to be with someone and leave her. I wasn't into one night stands and I knew I never would be. Sex should be personal, not spur of the moment between strangers. I felt bad about what happened but tried to ignore the guilt after the look she gave me in the kitchen.

She truly was a beautiful woman. I already knew from what I had seen in my bed this morning that she was petite and pale with long, tangled auburn hair. But now, I could see her eyes. Her eyes were wide, like I thought they'd be, dark brown, and expressive. They were eyes I could lose myself in.

I held her close to me and tried to think of something to say, some way to get to know her better that wasn't dependent on last night. She looked up at me, and I sighed.

"I admit I've never been in this situation before, Renesmee. I don't know where to start."

She smiled and sat up, her little hands on my chest to hold her up.

"How would you normally start with a girl?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Depends on the girl. I'm usually pretty good at judging a person, and I'd try to decide if she was the type to laugh at corny pick up lines or if she'd prefer something more serious. With you, I can't tell."

Her smile widened. "Why don't you give me your best line, and we'll see."

Of course she'd ask that. What the hell would I have said to this woman? I decided to go with her eyes; they would have drawn me in like a moth to a flame. "I would have said, 'Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes.'"

She rolled her eyes, but her smile never wavered. "That _is_ corny. But I probably would have said, 'No, I'd prefer to keep you here.'"

I chuckled and held her tighter.

"What would you have done after that?" she asked, perching herself closer to me on my lap. Her eyes were full of humor and life and they sparkled with enthusiasm. I'd never seen eyes so incredibly dynamic and beautiful.

"I would have asked you to go out with me," I said softly, running my hand up her back.

"You wouldn't have asked my name?" She smirked.

"Yeah, I guess I probably would have. I would have said, 'What should I call such a beautiful woman?'"

She blushed and giggled a little. "No, you wouldn't have." She looked up at me through her lashes, still blushing. "You would have said, 'There's just one thing your eyes haven't told me yet … your name.'" She blushed harder and looked down.

I chuckled. "Good one. I like it." It would be useless to store it for the future, though, because I knew I'd never notice another woman's eyes after hers. "Would you have told me your name then?"

She nodded. "Yes, I would have told you my name is Nessie because that's my nickname."

"Nessie. I like that. How'd you get that?"

She shrugged and licked her lips as she met my eyes again. "When I was young, my sister and I watched this movie about the Loch Ness Monster. I had nightmares about it for a week until she and my brother finally got fed up and told me the monster wasn't real. We researched for hours and hours to find some proof that it either was or wasn't real, and after researching, I decided that it wasn't scary anymore. But it sort of went to the other extreme; I liked it so much I'd play pranks on my sister and brother. I was four; they were both eight. They played along and called me Nessie, and the name just kind of stuck."

"Interesting. Are you still into the monster?"

"Not as much, no. But I did do a paper on it in high school that won an award."

I nodded as she blushed and smiled up at me. "So after you told me your name, would you ask for mine?"

She shook her head. "No, because after I told you my name, you'd just give me yours."

I smiled. "Okay, so I'd tell you my name is Jake."

"And then you could ask me out. How would you have asked me?" She put her arms around my neck, her face close to mine. I held her tighter and thought about what I would have said.

"I would have told you that I need to see you again to make sure you're real." It wasn't quite as cheesy as before, and I wondered if she'd correct me again.

She blushed again. "And then I'd pinch you and tell you that you weren't dreaming." Her fingers pinched my arm for demonstration.

I laughed; I was starting to like her more and more. "But because you pinched me, I'd have to get you back somehow." I raised an eyebrow and waited to see how she'd react.

She bit her lip and leaned a little closer, her arms tightening around my neck. "What would you have done?" Her eyes blazed with curiosity and sensuality, and I couldn't help myself as I leaned in to kiss her. She tensed for a second, but then her hands pulled me tighter to her, and she kissed me back. It wasn't exactly what I had planned or what I really would have done had our imagined scenario played out, but I wasn't about to complain. Her tongue was soft and warm against mine, and I could feel her breasts through her shirt as she pushed her chest against me. My hands held her small waist tightly, and somehow, a clearer memory of the night before broke through my hypomnesia. I remembered her taste, both the taste of her mouth and other parts of her body. The sudden memory caught me by surprise and made me hard faster than I could push her away. She pushed her body against me, rubbing against my sudden arousal and causing me to groan. I grabbed her hips and pulled her into me tightly, thrusting my hips up involuntarily.

She broke the kiss and pulled back, blushing as she looked at me through her lashes. I pushed her hair back behind her shoulders and cleared my throat.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. There was a reason I'd brought us out here to the living room. Although everyone was still passed out, we'd have an audience should anyone wake up or come over, and I wasn't about to do anything with her with an audience.

She licked her lips. "It's okay." She smiled a timid smile and lowered her eyes.

"You say that, but I really shouldn't be so careless. Not with you." I touched her cheek, and she peeked back up at me.

"Why?"

I licked my lips. "Because I want to do this right, Nessie. I'm not joking or being an idiot when I say that I've never met a woman who has this … I guess effect on me. Last night is a mystery to me, but I know if I could start over, I'd want to prove myself to you. I'd want to show you that I can be serious and be what you need before I asked you to be with me like that."

She leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder, her face buried in my neck. She kissed me there a few times, moving up to my ear. I shivered and my arms constricted around her lightly. "What if I told you that you've already proven that to me? I can't explain this, Jake, but I feel something with you that I've never felt before. I noticed it last night and thought it was the alcohol, but I still feel it. I'm happy with you." She sat up a little and met my eyes. "You have me, Jake. You don't need to impress me."

I smirked. "I'll never stop trying to impress you." I kissed her lips gently, and she smiled.

"I guess it's a guy thing. But you have to promise me that last night isn't going to get in the way. I mean, I remember it, and you don't. I guess I'm kind of glad you don't, but that's beside the point. I want to know that you're not going to keep yourself at a distance just to prove to me you're not only after sex. If it's going to happen, let it happen. I won't object."

I kissed her again and sighed. "How about a compromise? I promise I won't avoid anything sexual, but you have to promise that you won't let me push you. If I come on to you and you don't want to—"

Her lips on mine interrupted me, and her tongue in my mouth nearly drove the thought away completely.

"I can live with that," she said softly.

"It's settled then."

She kissed me and blushed as she pulled back. "Not entirely. I'm not really … I mean, am I your girlfriend?" She bit her lip and blushed again.

I touched her cheek and kissed her lips. "Of course. And I'm your boyfriend. And of course, this means I get to kick anyone's ass that looks at you wrong. You know that, right?"

She laughed and nodded. "Yep, and I get to beat away all the other girls drooling over you."

"Hmm, catfights. I like it."

She laughed again and put her head on my shoulder. I held her tightly, wondering briefly how I went from not knowing she existed one day to being unable to live without her the next. I rubbed her back as I considered thanking Stacie for bringing her to the party. Which made me wonder…

"So you came here with Stacie, right?" She nodded against my neck. "How do you know her?" I asked, laying my cheek on the top of her head.

"I go to school with her. We have a few classes together at the U. We've been friends since my sister and I moved here about two years ago." Her fingers traced lines on my neck and shoulder as she spoke. "I'd been jealous of her because she had Embry. I always thought he was pretty good looking. When she told me there would be single guys like him at the party, I decided to go for it. I remember seeing Seth and Brady, but it was you that really caught my attention."

I had to remind myself that neither Seth nor Brady got the attention I did from her. I knew it was illogical, but I couldn't help but get possessive especially when I knew either Seth or Brady would have gone after her in a heartbeat.

"I'm glad to hear it."

I could feel her smile against my skin as her fingers danced up my neck to my jaw.

"What about you? Did you grow up here with all the other guys?"

I turned my head a little to kiss her hair before answering. "Yes, we all grew up together. Sam's the oldest; he didn't hang around the party last night, so I'm not sure if you met him, but he's sort of the responsible one. Paul and Jared are around his age, and then I'm next. I remember Embry, Quil, and Seth when they were young, and I was there in the room when Colin and Brady were born. Colin wasn't there last night, though; he's with his girlfriend."

She nodded and rubbed her hand over the stubble on my cheek. "So how old are you then?"

"I'm twenty-six. You?"

She kissed my neck again. "Twenty-one."

I was a little surprised that she was so young, but it didn't bother me.

Stacie groaned and rolled over, pulling herself out from under Embry's head. His head hit the floor and suddenly he was awake.

"Wha—" He lifted his head and looked around like he was lost. Nessie rearranged herself on my lap so she could see what was happening. Embry shook his head and slowly started lifting himself onto his knees.

Nessie smiled up at me, and I put my finger over my lips to try to tell her to be quiet. I wanted to see how long it would take him to realize there were other conscious people in the room. She nodded and rested her head back down on my shoulder.

Embry groaned as he stretched and yawned and then shook himself off like a dog. I stifled a chuckle and watched him assess the room without turning around to see Nessie or me. He yawned again before reaching over to shake Stacie gently.

"Hey, Stace. Wake up, babe."

She grumbled and smacked his hand, but he didn't give up. He shook her again, and when she turned away from him, he reached over and tickled her. He chuckled when she started squirming. She tried to get away, but eventually she gave in and started laughing.

"Okay, okay! I'm up!" she said, laughing. Embry helped her sit up and kissed her before pulling her up close to him.

"Good morning," he said.

She kissed him. "Morning." She stretched and kissed him again before starting to get up. Embry grabbed her hips and pulled her back. She giggled as she fell on him, and her arms grabbed his shoulders to try to steady herself. She looked up at me over his shoulder, and her smile disappeared. She pushed back from Embry and stood up.

"Babe?" he asked, reaching for her leg.

She put her hands on her hips, and I had a feeling I was about to get reamed for whatever happened last night. I just hoped she wasn't mad at Nessie.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked although I wasn't sure if her question was directed at me or Nessie on my lap. Nessie must have known because she sat up and held out her hand.

"It was my fault, Stacie. Don't be mad at him."

Stacie didn't budge. "You think that's going to work? I didn't bring you to the party to fuck some random guy!"

Nessie rolled her eyes and stood up. She was a little shaky but she managed on her own. "No, you brought me to get drunk off my ass; which I did. Fucking a guy I didn't know was my idea. And it wasn't random; I deliberately chose him." She grabbed Stacie's hand. "Come on, let's go talk outside."

Embry sat on the floor, smirking at me. I just knew he was going to ask for details, but even if I had them I wouldn't have given them.

"So, how was _your_ night?" he asked, hinting at the details.

I shook my head. "I don't know. From what she says, it was pretty good, but I don't remember a damn thing after the alcohol."

Embry shook his head and stood up. "Too bad. She looks like she would have been quite the firecracker."

The same flash of possessiveness from earlier when Nessie mentioned Seth and Brady surged through me. I stood up and slapped my hand on his shoulder. "Sure does. Keep your eyes and hands to yourself if you don't want to lose 'em." I nodded once and went back to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"Come on, man. Stacie is all I need; why would I go after her best friend?" Embry asked, walking into the kitchen behind me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just saying don't do it."

"You with her?"

The question was casual, and had it been any other woman we were talking about, I might not have reacted so violently. But the need to claim my territory overrode any thoughts of keeping my cool. I turned and planted myself right in front of Embry, my chest nearly touching his. He had to look up to meet my eyes, and I saw a rare flash of fear in his.

"Yes, I'm with her," I all but growled. "Keep your distance, Embry."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Calm down, Jake; I was just asking."

I took a deep breath and realized what I was doing. I backed off and shook my head. "Sorry."

He shrugged. "Just don't go all homicidal if another guy talks to her, 'kay? Women don't particularly like that."

I smirked and opened the fridge. "What do you know about women?"

I could feel the smugness radiating from him. "I know about Stacie."

Just then, I heard tires screeching and a horn honking. Someone started yelling as a car door slammed, and I abandoned my food search to get outside and make sure Nessie was okay. I groaned to myself when I saw Edward's car outside and wondered what the hell the bastard wanted now. His brown-haired bitch of a girlfriend was yelling at Nessie, and I didn't hesitate to get in the way. Edward glared at me the way he always did, and the girlfriend barely paid any attention to me.

"I told you not to come here, Nessie!" she yelled. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Nessie was backing up away from the other girl's attack, and I grabbed her shoulders, holding her to me to try to protect her. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I got it, Jake." She sounded so confident, yet I could see something in her eyes. Was it fear?

"Is this him?" the brown-haired girl asked.

Nessie sighed. "Yes, this is him. Bella, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is my sister Bella."

_Oh, shit. No way._ My hands tightened on Nessie's shoulders, and I took a deep breath to try to calm down. Of all the people in the western hemisphere, why did Nessie's sister have to be the girl Edward had already turned against me?

Bella didn't waste any time. She launched into an attack aimed right at me.

"You son of a bitch!" she shrieked. I wasn't sure now if I was holding Nessie to protect her or to use her as a shield against her sister. Bella pointed at me and raised her voice. "This is my sister! She's barely twenty-one years old!"

Nessie shook her head and defended me. I didn't have a clue what I could say. Edward stood back against his car, watching the scene and probably happy to see his girl ripping me a new one.

"I am plenty old enough to make my own decisions. You don't have any right to attack him because of what I did. Be mad at me; you don't even know him!"

I decided she was my shield.

"Edward knows him," Bella said matter-of-factly. "Edward knows he's a backstabbing son of a bitch."

I shook my head, slowly getting pissed off but trying to rein in my temper. If association with Edward made Nessie leave before I even had a chance to prove myself, I was going to kill him.

"If I cared what Edward said I wouldn't have come here in the first place. Clearly, I don't. So you can just get back in the car and leave me alone. I'll be home when I'm damn good and ready to come home."

_Thank you, God._

"I am not leaving you here, Nessie. You could get hurt!" Bella suddenly softened, playing the concerned older sister instead of the pissed older sister. "What do you think Mom would say?" She made her eyes big and wide, trying to get Nessie to follow her. Nessie sighed, and her body tightened.

"Don't even, Bella," she said, her voice strained with anger. "If I was going to get hurt, it would have happened last night when we were all too drunk to care what was happening. Just get your ass out of here, and if you're lucky, you'll see me tomorrow."

But Bella wasn't giving up. "Maybe I should get Jasper out here to see what's going on?"

Nessie laughed without humor. "Fine, go ahead. Ask our brother to leave his wife and kids to come out here to see that his little sister is all grown up and knows how to make her own decisions."

Watching the girls go back and forth was almost like a watching tennis match while standing behind one of the contestants. Edward kept his place next to his car, just watching from a distance. I wondered briefly if he thought his girl was being too harsh on Nessie. Then I remembered he was the asshole who invented harsh. He was probably waiting for Bella to force Nessie to go with them. I tightened my hold on Nessie's shoulders, this time protectively.

"You think Jasper would condone this behavior?" Bella asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I know Jasper would at least try to get to know my boyfriend for himself before just accepting that what someone else says is true." Nessie looked pointedly at Edward for a moment.

Bella's mouth dropped, and I could almost see the steam shoot from her ears. "Your what?" she screeched.

"My boyfriend. You know, the man I am currently dating. I would think you would know what it meant since you have one yourself."

I held in my laughter; it wouldn't do any good to stoke the fire.

Bella stalked forward and grabbed Nessie's hand. Nessie pulled back, and I withdrew a few steps to pull her out of the way. Bella glared at me.

"You stay out of this," she spat. I pulled Nessie behind me, deciding I was done with the shield.

"She said to leave her alone; you need to leave." Nessie grabbed my arm tightly and peeked around me.

Bella narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. Edward didn't like me challenging Bella; he came up to me and pushed Bella behind him like I'd done with Nessie.

"You can't tell her to leave," he said, trying to be menacing.

"I can. This is my property."

He looked down and swore to himself; the thought obviously hadn't crossed his mind. I knew him well enough to know he was deciding if it was worth it to fight me. He turned and looked at Bella.

"He's right; this is his property. If he says we have to leave, we have to leave."

"What about Nessie?" She sounded honestly concerned.

Edward turned back to me. "Give me the girl, and we'll leave."

I shook my head. "You sound like I'm keeping her here against her will. You heard her earlier; she wants to stay." Nessie's hands on my arm tightened. I pushed her back a little more in case Edward decided to get physical. I didn't want her to get hurt.

"What if I don't believe her?"

I was done playing diplomat. "Believe her or not; she's already said it. You have five minutes to get off my property."

"Or what?" Edward asked, testing my patience.

"You're trespassing, Edward. Use your imagination."

Edward huffed and turned back to Bella. I turned quickly to make sure Nessie was okay behind me. She smiled up at me, and I returned my attention to Edward.

Finally, Edward and Bella started walking back to the car. "I expect you to come home tonight, Nessie," Bella called, clearly not happy about having to leave her sister here.

Nessie didn't answer. When the car was finally out of sight, I turned around to pull Nessie against me.

"You okay?" I asked.

She hugged me back tightly. "Of course I am. Thank you." She stood on her toes to kiss me.

Embry and Quil were both standing at the door with Stacie and Claire in the house. They were prepared to back me up if something turned physical. It wouldn't have been the first time Edward came here to start trouble. They backed up and went to their girls as Nessie and I went inside.

Food forgotten, I took Nessie to the couch again, and she sat on my lap like before. It wasn't lost on me how close I'd come to losing her. I had no doubt that if Edward had wanted it badly enough, he could have convinced Nessie that I was the bad guy just like he'd convinced Bella. The thought of him turning Nessie against me made me want to keep her here with me forever just to make sure he never got his teeth in her. I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't the asshole Edward thought I was.

Nessie perched herself on my lap and kissed my neck. "I'm sorry, Jake," she said softly.

I kissed her forehead. "For what?"

She sat up a little and looked at me. "For all that. My sister's a little overprotective."

I shrugged. "It probably doesn't help that Edward's convinced her that I'm Satan."

She smiled sadly. "Why does he hate you so badly?"

I sighed. "Truthfully? I don't really know. We used to be good friends. All through high school, we were always together; we did everything together even though I went to school on the reservation and he went to Forks High. We both took the same college classes the last year of high school, and we both got the same degree in IT engineering. Then one day about five years ago, he's knocking down my door, yelling at me, and telling me I'm a backstabbing son of a bitch. He wouldn't tell me what the hell was going on, and he wouldn't let me defend myself. Eventually, I had to fight back just to get him to leave me the hell alone."

She rubbed her hand on my chin, and I remembered I needed to shave sometime soon. She smiled and laid her head on my shoulder.

"Maybe he just had a bad case of guy PMS or something."

I chuckled. "I don't know. He still won't tell me what the hell happened. Of course, I'm not idiot enough to try to ask either. I did try for about six months, but every time I saw him he'd attack me again—sometimes physically, sometimes just verbally. But I wasn't going to put up with it just to figure out what his problem was. I decided if he was done with me, I was done with him."

She nodded and kissed my neck. "I could ask him what happened if you want."

I laid my cheek on the top of her head. "I don't want you getting in the middle of it. Edward can be very cruel when he wants to be, and I don't want you to get hurt. Just please know that whatever happened, I never intended to hurt anyone."

She nodded and scratched my chin. It felt good. "I believe you, Jake."

I kissed her and took a deep breath. I realized slowly that the air smelled like eggs and sausage.

"Mm," Nessie said, lifting her head. "Someone's cooking."

I heard a giggle from the kitchen. "Damn straight," Claire said. "You want some, come get it before it's gone."

Thank God for Claire. My stomach growled, and Nessie kissed me quickly before hopping down and grabbing my hands. I followed her to the kitchen and let Nessie get her plate before I got mine. I sat next to her at the bar, and she smiled at me as she put a forkful of eggs in her mouth. We ate mostly in silence, just listening to the others. Suddenly, Nessie reached out and touched my fingers.

"Why 'wolf pack?'" she asked.

I shrugged. "Because we're stupid," I said through a mouthful of food.

Stacie smacked my arm as she passed behind me. "That's not why, Jake. Let Embry tell you. He tells it best."

"Yeah, but you're biased," I said.

She shrugged and sat by Embry at the table. Nessie smiled at me before turning to face Embry. Embry swallowed his bite and cleared his throat, sitting up straight like he was some kind of oracle about to tell the future of the world. I stifled a chuckle, and he glared at me before beginning.

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," he began. I rolled my eyes. "There was this small tribe in Washington called the Quileutes. Their chief and a few other elders were shape shifters, spirit warriors who were able to transform their physical form into wolves to scare off predators and keep other tribes from kicking their asses at war. Over the generations, the ability to shape shift has been lost, but the spirit of the wolf pack lingers."

Nessie turned to me. "Is that true?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't have made it so damn corny, but that's one of our tribe's legends."

Embry threw a piece of sausage at me. "Don't knock my awesome storytelling prowess."

"I'm the one who needs to worry about storytelling prowess; don't get your panties in a bunch." I picked up the sausage and tossed it back at him. He caught it before it could hit him.

"Why you?" Nessie asked me curiously.

I shrugged. "I'm sort of next in line for chief."

Her eyes widened, and she smiled hugely. "Really? That's so awesome."

What I had thought was a burden suddenly seemed less foreboding. Pride surged through me, and I felt like strutting.

"Thanks."

We all cleaned up our mess from breakfast and went out back to the site of the party last night. I took some sodas for everyone and sat down in a lawn chair. Nessie decided to sit by Stacie, and I didn't complain. I watched her for a minute as she talked. Claire was with them, and it made me happy that Nessie was being included with them.

"Who would have thought that the woman you get with when you're piss-ass drunk would be a woman you'd actually like when you're sober?" Quil asked as he sat down next to me.

I chuckled. "Lucky me, I guess."

"She seems nice. Genuine."

I nodded. "Did you get to talk to her at all last night?"

He shrugged. "A little. She was after the single guys, though. She seemed like she was on a mission until she met you."

I smiled and looked back over at her. The girls were laughing about something. Nessie glanced at me and smiled brightly before turning back to her conversation. I found myself smiling just because she was having a good time.

We hung out in the yard for a few hours, just bullshitting with each other until Stacie had to go home to get ready for work. Since Nessie had come with Stacie, she needed to leave too. She came over to me and sat on my lap.

"You could stay if you want," I said, running my hand through her hair. "I could take you home later. Or in the morning."

She smiled slyly. "You think you're going to get sex again?"

I smirked. "No, not really. But you could still stay here if you want."

She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed. "I'd like to, Jake, but I have to work tomorrow morning. If I don't go home tonight, I'm afraid I won't sleep."

I put my cheek on her head and tried not to think about the possibilities of what her comment could mean. "If you think it's best that you go home, I won't stop you. I'll miss you, though."

"I'll miss you, too."

She kissed me and got up to follow Stacie into the house. I sighed and got up to go with them, hoping for one more kiss before she left. I remembered something as I passed my room and ran in to grab it quickly. I turned on my cell phone as I walked back into the living room. Nessie hugged my waist, and I kissed the top of her head.

"You know what? I think there's something wrong with my phone," I said, holding back my smirk. Nessie looked up at me, one eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"Your number's not in it."

She smiled and rolled her eyes a little, taking a step back to hold her hand out for the phone. I gave it to her, and she programmed her number into it.

"I also called my phone, so I have your number now, too." She smiled brightly and gave the phone back.

I hugged her tightly and kissed her again before letting her go. "Call me when you get off work. Or whenever," I said, following her to the car. She smiled and nodded.

"I will. I get off at four, so I'll call you when I get home."

I got one more kiss before she got in the car and slowly made my way back into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I think I might have scared some people off with my promise of no lemons, lol. Oh, well. Thank you so much to those of you who did review.

I realized that I haven't put a disclaimer on the chapters. My bad. So, here we go.

**Disclaimer: **All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Or, less legal-like, it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me. Sad face.

A huge thank you to betas ElleCC and karma0be11e. Oh, and this marks the halfway point of the story. Hopefully updates will be quicker, but it all depends on beta. Follow me on Twitter sheewolf85 ... sometimes I post teasers :)

So with that, here is chapter three!

* * *

**Aftermath**

Chapter 3

**~*~NPOV~*~**

I was happy that Stacie didn't have the issues with the Quileute men that Edward did. She didn't bitch and moan to me about how I shouldn't have gotten with Jacob. At first, when she had woken up, she was concerned because she didn't want me to get hurt. But after I explained that it was my choice and that Jacob and I had talked and we were now officially dating, she calmed down and even supported my decision to be with him.

We didn't talk much on the way back to the house. I was nervous to face Bella, my sister and roommate until I could find a place of my own.

Stacie pulled up to the house and hugged me across the car. "Be careful, Nessie. And don't listen to Edward. Embry says he's full of shit and doesn't know what he's talking about."

I nodded. "Don't worry; I'll be fine. See you in class on Monday." I went inside and tried to be as quiet as possible as I went to my room. Bella heard me as I passed the living room.

"So you did decide to come home," she said. I turned to see her standing in front of the couch with her hands on her hips. I sighed and decided to get this over with.

"Yes, I came home because I have to work tomorrow. I'm going to go rest."

"Nessie, we need to talk about this. How stupid can you be?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Bella. Be serious here. If I was going to get hurt, it would've already happened and you know it."

She shook her head and held out her hand as if to block my reasoning. "I understand that you think that, Nessie, but Edward says Jacob is really good at making people think something that's not true."

"I don't give a rat's ass what Edward says, Bella. According to Jake, Edward just suddenly decided one day that he was the bad guy — no warning, no explanation, nothing. How's that for backstabber?"

"You don't think maybe he was lying to you?" She put her hands on her hips again and spoke like it was only obvious that Jake would lie.

I sighed and shrugged. "You know what, I don't know. I don't know what happened and frankly I don't care. All I know is that I had a great time with a great guy, and I'm not going to let you and your tyrannical boyfriend make me regret it."

"Tyrannical boyfriend? Nessie, Edward is concerned about you—"

"Oh, whatever." I threw my hands up, pissed that she just wouldn't let me be. "He's only out to take anything that means anything to Jacob away from him. He probably wouldn't have said a damn word if I'd gotten drunk off my ass and fucked one of his friends. But Jacob? Oh, god no! The world is coming to an end!"

"Nessie, that's ridiculous. I wouldn't have let you—"

I interrupted her again. "Exactly! You wouldn't have let me. I'm not a kid, Bella. Just fucking accept the fact that I'm going to make my own decisions and I'm probably going to make my own damn mistakes. Last night was not a mistake. I love him!" I was surprised when the words left my mouth. I was even more surprised to realize that they were true.

She grabbed my hand, and I tried to yank it back, but her hold was too tight. "You do not love him, Nessie. He's a rude, boorish charlatan, and I won't have my sister near him."

I yanked back and this time she let go. "You're not making my decisions for me. This conversation is over, Bella." I stalked out of the room and ignored her when she called after me. I slammed my door behind me and threw myself at my bed. There was a part of me that regretted getting myself into this situation with my sister, but it wasn't hard to remind myself of everything I gained with Jacob. It didn't matter to me that I'd just met him or that we'd spent the majority of our time together either drunk or passed out. My sober time with him was enough to convince me that he was something special. I got my phone out of my pocket and saved his number, then spent a few minutes looking at it.

Eventually I decided I'd just have to deal with Bella and Edward not accepting my decision. I wasn't going to back down and change my mind for them. I believed Jacob when he told me he didn't know what happened. I didn't know Edward well, but I wouldn't put it past his overbearing ass to make up something so the situation would bend to his will. He was good to Bella, and I appreciated that, but there was something too uptight about him that made me shudder. I smiled when I remembered what I had said to Bella about Edward not caring if I got drunk with someone else. Edward seemed like he needed to get drunk and he needed it badly. He could use a good dose of relaxation.

I sighed and got up to take a shower and get myself ready for bed. It wasn't late, but I was tired and I knew I'd need my sleep for the next day.

* * *

"_Hey, it's Jake. You know the drill."_

I sighed and waited for the tone to leave my message. I had survived the day at work by reminding myself that I'd get to talk to Jake when I got off.

"Hey, Jake. It's Nessie. Um… just calling you 'cause I'm off work. I guess call me when you can. If you want." I hung up and sucked in a breath. What if he didn't call?

I didn't get time to panic. My phone buzzed, and I smiled when I saw Jake's name on the caller ID.

"Hey, Jake," I said, biting my lip.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you?"

He sounded happy, and I smiled.

"I'm good. Tired, but good. You?"

"Eh, I'm surviving. I miss you, though."

"I miss you, too."

"How was work?" he asked.

I lay back on my bed and stared at my ceiling. "It was long and boring and sucked ass. But, at least it's over now. I don't have to go back 'till Wednesday. It's just school now. Did you work today?"

"No, I just work Monday through Friday. I'm sorry your job sucks. What do you do?"

"Customer service for Taylor's Fitness Equipment."

"I've heard of them; they actually have some good stuff."

I nodded. "Yeah, most of the people I talk to say they like it. You ever tried it?" I bit my lip as I imagined Jacob working out, all sweaty as his muscles rolled and flexed.

"Yeah, Sam has the weight bench. It's nice. So what do you do? Just take orders or something?" He sounded genuinely interested.

"Yeah, that and find lost orders and calm people down when they get mad. Just general customer service stuff."

"Hmm, okay. And you have classes all week?"

"Every day except Wednesday when I work again. What time do you work?"

"Seven to five. Long hours but easy work…for the most part, anyway."

I nodded. "What do you do?"

"I'm IT manager for JT Enterprises. Without getting all technical, I make sure everything runs smoothly and work with my team to make the systems better."

I nodded, impressed. "Sounds fun."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. I get to work on computers all day long, anyway."

I smirked to myself; my giant hunk of a boyfriend was a computer geek.

"When do I get to see you again?" I asked, hoping it could be sometime before next weekend.

"What time do you have class?"

"My last class gets out at six." I so wanted to see him soon.

"Okay. Well, how about I pick you up from class on Tuesday? I have a meeting after work tomorrow, but I'm free on Tuesday after five."

I smiled hugely. "I would love that, Jake."

"Let's make it a date and I'll take you to dinner."

"That sounds perfect." I bit my lip as a surge of happiness rushed through me.

There was a ruckus in the background, and I furrowed my brow. Jacob chuckled. "I gotta go, baby. Seth's here and he needs some help with his laptop."

I smiled. "Okay. I'll see you Tuesday?" I bit my lip again to keep from telling him that I loved him. It was too soon.

"I look forward to it."

We said our goodbyes and hung up. I sighed and lay still on my back, staring at the ceiling for a while thinking about Jacob and our upcoming date.

* * *

"You're doing it again," Bella said impatiently.

I frowned, irritated as I scooped up some mashed potatoes. She had interrupted another fantasy of Jacob lifting weights. It was amazing how much this image made my job better. Each new piece that I talked about or placed an order for starred in a new fantasy.

My date with Jacob on Tuesday had been an amazing night. We'd had dinner and then walked around town just talking about what we both wanted from life. It was romantic and sweet, but slow-paced and relaxing at the same time. Neither of us pushed for sex; we both had to work the next day and were tired from the long day we'd had. But we had decided I'd stay the night with him on Friday and have all day Saturday to just be with him.

"So what if I'm doing it again? Do you know how many times you stared off into space with a love-struck sigh after you met Edward?"

She grumbled and looked back down at her plate for a minute. I got a few minutes to eat in peace before she started again.

"Edward is a great man, Nessie. He's not petty and shallow like Jacob; he would never do anything to hurt anyone."

I laughed once without humor. "Petty and shallow? If Jake was petty and shallow, do you think he'd really want to start dating a woman he'd already had in bed?"

Before all this happened with the party and Jacob, I never would have thought Bella and I could be this at odds with each other. We rarely fought, but she was just as stubborn as I was, and I wasn't giving up on Jacob just because her boyfriend didn't like him.

"I don't know what he'd do to get you into bed again, Nessie."

"You know, I really don't have to put up with this. Jacob is a great man, too. You just won't find out for yourself because of something your boyfriend said. I'm in love with Jake, and I'm staying with Jake. If I end up with my heart broken, then it happens. Butt out and leave me alone."

I stood up, taking my plate to the sink. Bella stayed at the table with her eyes on her plate as I stormed to my room. I hated being at war in my own house.

It reminded me of days past when our parents would fight and the three of us kids would somehow end up in the middle of it. Jasper took the brunt and protected Bella and me, saying he was the man and it was his responsibility. When our dad, Phil, passed away when I was thirteen, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be sad that he was gone or glad that I'd never have to witness another fight between our parents again. It was our mother's death two years ago that really shook me. Her death was the reason Bella and I had moved; we just couldn't stay there with the memories anymore. Jasper had already gotten married and started a family, so he stayed.

I wondered briefly what Jasper would think of Jacob. Like Bella, would he instantly take Edward's side without even hearing Jacob's story?

I lay down on my bed and hugged my pillow. I hated not being able to talk to my sister like a normal person, but it was her choice to bring up my relationship with Jacob at every opportunity. If I had my way, I'd have at least one Jacob-and-Edwardless conversation a day with her. I'd tried to just talk to her about our days at work, but inevitably she would bring up Jacob or something Edward had said about Jacob in an attempt to turn me against him. It made me mad, and I'd have to fight back just to get her off my case for a few minutes.

I decided to make it an early night and got ready for bed without leaving my room. I sighed as I turned off my lamp, wishing Bella could just see that I was happy with Jake and be happy for me.

* * *

_It was there, behind me. I could feel it. I could hear the footsteps and hear the breathing. But I didn't dare turn around. I kept my body frozen, praying that if I didn't move, it would get bored and go away._

_But it didn't go away. I closed my eyes and tried to be still. My body was cold and my palms were clammy, fear making my stomach turn with every breath. The animal behind me came closer until I couldn't stand it any longer. I couldn't leave it to chance; if I let it get too close I'd have no chance of escape. I ran to my left, clumsily dodging trees and nearly tripping over sticks in the woods. _

_But still the animal followed. _

_In a lapse of control, I fearfully glanced behind me to see the large red wolf keeping pace with me easily. It was toying with me. It could have easily caught up to me and attacked._

_I cried out in alarm and stumbled over a branch I hadn't seen on the ground. As I hit the ground, I heard the wolf's growl and tried to hide my head in my arms._

I woke up with a whimper and sat up in bed, my body covered in cold sweat. After a few deep breaths, I wiped my face with my hands and got up to get a drink. Not for the first time, I wondered how long I was going to have to be chased by a wolf in my dreams. It had gotten closer than ever before this time. Did it mean that whatever the wolf represented was close to me now, in my real life?

I turned on the faucet in the bathroom and splashed some water on my face to clear my head.

I'd read countless dream interpretation books and they all said a wolf means lurking danger. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I wondered what danger could be getting closer. With a sigh, I got a drink from the tap and went back to bed.

* * *

I brushed my hair one more time and smiled at myself in the mirror before turning and dancing to my room. It was Friday, and I was going to be with Jacob. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. I wondered if any details from our last night together had come back to Jake yet or if I needed to refresh his memory. I blushed to myself; there was no way I could be like that again without the aid of alcohol and I knew it.

I was ready to leave at six thirty, but Jake was coming to pick me up at seven. I went out to the living room to waste time watching TV until he showed up. Bella was already sitting on the couch in Edward's arms, and I groaned to myself. It seemed any time Edward was around, the war just got worse. He was even more stubborn and determined to get me away from Jake than Bella was. I contemplated going back in my room to wait, but then decided that I didn't want to hide in my own house.

I walked into the room to watch whatever it was they were watching. Edward followed me with his eyes, and I wondered when he was going to start in on everything. I sucked in a deep breath and decided to try to stop it before it began.

"Before either of you start, I'm going to be with Jake tonight and nothing either of you say will stop that. He's coming to pick me up in thirty minutes and if either of you say or do anything to start a fight or embarrass me or Jake, I swear I will never forgive you."

I sat down and tried to let that be the end of it. I could feel both sets of eyes on me, and I ignored them the best I could, keeping my focus on _Star Wars_ in front of me.

"Nessie," Edward said softly. He sat up and turned toward me, Bella peeking out from behind him. "Please don't think that I'm trying to make your decisions for you or that I'm trying to tell Bella to tell you how to live your life. That's not at all what I'm trying to do. But you are very important to Bella and that makes you important to me. Jacob and I were very good friends for a long time."

I nodded. "I know, Edward. He told me about how you used to do everything together and you were friends and all that."

"Did he tell you what happened?"

I closed my eyes for a moment. I knew Jacob didn't want me to get involved, but my own curiosity was screaming that this was the perfect opportunity to find out.

"He said he didn't know. He said one day you're friends and the next you're screaming at him that he's a backstabber. He said you wouldn't ever explain to him what happened." I hoped I could get Edward's point of view on the situation. If for no other reason than to tell Jacob what Edward thought happened and give him some closure on the subject.

Edward sat up a little more and leaned his elbows on the arm of the chair to look at me with an intense stare.

"He says he doesn't know what happened because he doesn't want you to know that I'm right."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Why don't you tell me what happened so I can decide for myself?"

Edward shook his head. "We were friends up until he took the trust I had in him and stomped on it. We both graduated college with degrees in IT Engineering. After we graduated, I applied for a management position at JT Enterprises. The hiring manager, Mike, told me I got the job. Two days later he called me and told me someone else had pushed their application through, and he decided to go with them instead. It was Jacob. He knew I'd applied for that job, and he knew what it would mean for me. But instead of just being happy for me, he had to go and take it out from under me."

There was a part of me that wanted to slap Edward for being so petty, but another part of me wondered why Jacob would do that or tell me he didn't know what was going on if he really did.

"He lied to you, Nessie," Bella said.

I shook my head. "No. I believe him. He said he didn't know, and I'm sure he didn't. Why didn't you ever explain it to him, Edward? Even if he did know, why couldn't you have just told him?"

"Because I've known a lot of cheats in my life, and I didn't want to try to fix things if that's what he was going to be like."

I sighed and sat forward to put my head in my hands. "Well, your issues with him are your issues. They're not my issues. I love him, and dammit, I'm going to be with him."

Before either Bella or Edward could say anything, there was a knock at the door. I gave both of them a hard look and got up to answer it. I smiled up at Jacob, and he touched my cheek.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss me.

"Hey."

I had hoped to just get out of there quickly, but of course Edward wasn't going to allow that.

"Hello, Jacob," Edward said friendliness nowhere in his voice. I sighed and closed my eyes, putting my forehead on Jacob's chest.

"Edward."

I smiled; at least Jacob wasn't meeting the hostility Edward presented.

"Can we just go?" I asked, looking up at Jake. He nodded and was starting to back up when Edward stopped him.

"So I was just wondering," Edward started. I bit my lip; please don't let it be something to provoke Jake. "How long it will be until you show your true colors. You know, cheating on Nessie and whatnot."

I groaned and was going to turn around to face him, but Jake beat me to it. He pulled me behind him and took a step inside the door.

"I am not going to fight you here, Edward. But you keep your nose out of my business unless you want it broken again."

"You're not going to defend your honor?" Edward asked smugly.

"I don't have to defend a damn thing to you," Jacob growled. He started turning around to leave.

"That's right; just run away like the lying sack of shit you are."

Jacob froze. I grabbed his hand to try to keep him from doing something he'd regret. He didn't seem to care; he pulled his hand from mine and turned around anyway, walking toward Edward.

I ran back into the house and noticed Bella sitting on the couch, just watching everything with wide eyes. I put myself between the men and put my hands on Jacob's chest.

"Don't. Come on, this is absolutely ridiculous. Neither of you need to do this."

Jacob looked down at me and sighed. I looked over at Edward, and he glared at me.

"Nessie, why are you defending him when you know what he did?"

I rolled my eyes and looked back up at Jacob. "I know you said you didn't want me to get involved, but the opportunity presented itself, and I asked what happened." I bit my lip, waiting to see how he would react.

Jacob nodded. "As long as he didn't try to hurt you, I don't care. I guess it's nice to know he's finally got his story straight."

I balled my fist and put it on his chest. "Jacob, please. He's antagonizing you, and you're doing the same to him. I don't want to have my weekend with you ruined because one or the other of you gets arrested or hospitalized. Please?"

Edward chuckled, and I prayed Jacob could be the bigger man and walk away. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked at me.

"Okay."

He kissed me once and took my hand, leading me out the door and ignoring Edward's comment before it was cut off as the door slammed shut.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Y'all are awesome. Really. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

I still don't own anything. Shocking, I know.

Huge thank you to betas Lharkcom and ginginlee.

And without further ado, here is chapter 4:

* * *

**Aftermath**

Chapter 4

**~*~JPOV~*~**

It took the drive back to my house to calm down. I tried to focus on what lay ahead: Nessie was staying the night with me, and we'd have all day Saturday to be together. I wanted to put what happened with Edward behind me, like Nessie had asked, but dammit if it wasn't easier to imagine what I wanted to do to Edward's pretty little face.

"Are you okay?" Nessie asked as we pulled up to my house. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I got out and took her hand as we walked inside. She set her bag down on the couch and turned to me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I'm so sorry for what happened there, Jake. I told Edward and Bella that if they did anything to you that I was never going to forgive them. Then Edward started talking about what happened, and I guess I got the whole situation in his head. I didn't want him to do that." She buried her face in my shirt, and I sighed.

"I know you didn't, baby." I kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.

"Did you know that Edward had applied for the same job you got?" she asked suddenly, pulling back to look up at me.

I looked at her curiously, furrowing my brow. "No, I didn't. Did he say he did?"

She nodded. "He said he'd applied and was told he got the job, and then two days later the boss called him back and said someone else got it. It was you."

I shook my head, disbelieving. "_That's_ what he got so upset about?"

She nodded again. "He said you knew about it. I mean, I believe you that you didn't, but that's what he says."

"If I had known… I mean, jeez; I'd applied for the job three months before we graduated. It was after we graduated that Mike called me back and said he'd reevaluated my application." I hugged her tighter, unable to believe that a stupid job was the cause of all of Edward's malice.

"So you didn't get it when you first applied?" she asked.

"No; I'd originally applied for an engineer position and Mike told me I wasn't qualified for the job. Then one day after I graduated he calls me back, and says he's reevaluated everything and that I'd be perfect for the manager position. I figured it was just because I hadn't graduated when I first put the app in."

She kissed my chest and sighed, her nails scratching down my back. The sensation went right through me and my body responded to her touch. I kissed the top of her head again and started rubbing her back. I wasn't sure if she'd be ready for sex tonight, but somehow I really hoped she would be.

"Jake?" she asked, leaning back to look up at me. I hummed and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Do you think Edward would stop being such an asshole if he knew the truth?"

I sighed deeply and took her over to the couch, pulling her on my lap. "I don't know, honestly. I'd like to say he would, but he might not."

She nodded and nuzzled her face in my neck. "I just wish it was easy, you know? I wish we could just bash him over the head and make him see. I feel like I'm at war, and Bella's not acting like the rational sister I knew before she met Edward."

"I'm sorry, Nessie. I can try to talk to him if you want." I never thought I'd put myself there again, but I knew I'd do it for Nessie in a heartbeat.

"I don't want you to get hurt. Or for you to hurt him."

I nodded. "I do have to say that now that I know what he was thinking, I can understand why he got mad. I can't see why he took it as far as he did, but I would have been upset, too, if I thought someone took the position out from under me. Maybe he'd believe me if I just explained my side." I could have that much faith for Nessie.

I felt her smile against my neck. "Thank you, Jake. You don't know how much I appreciate you trying." She kissed me and sat up.

"Anything for you, baby."

She smiled and looked down for a second. "Anything, huh?" she blushed as she looked at me through her lashes. I licked my lips and nodded. "Anything at all?" She bit her lip.

I smirked. "Anything at all."

"What if I asked you to take off your shirt?" she asked, picking at the shoulder of my shirt.

I sat up and reached behind me to pull my shirt off. I tossed it to the side, and she smiled as she ran her fingers over my chest.

"Okay, what if I asked you to take off my shirt?"

I grinned and kissed her as I grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it. She helped me get it off, and I threw it to the side with my shirt. She sat there on my lap in her bra, and I couldn't even try to keep myself from getting hard. I wanted her madly. I ran my hands up her sides, her hands resting on my wrists. I met her eyes and watched them closely as I reached up and palmed her breasts. She smiled and ran her hands up my arms, her fingernails scratching me lightly as she went.

"I love you, Jacob," she said softly, leaning into me. Her eyes gleamed with desire and love and intensity, but there was a fear there that I didn't want to see. I pulled her close to me and kissed her deeply.

I pulled back and looked into her eyes as I touched her cheek and said, "You know, it's not my fault I fell in love with you. You're the one that tripped me."

She smiled brightly and threw her arms around my neck, her body flush with mine as she kissed me again. I held her tightly and kissed her deeper when she grabbed my hair. Her breasts pushed into my chest and her hip rubbed against my erection. She broke the kiss and leaned back, her eyes burning with need.

"Take me to your room, Jake," she said heatedly. I didn't hesitate to pick her up and carry her to my bedroom.

* * *

I woke up to Nessie squirming beside me. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, turning my head and expecting to see her eyes open. She whimpered and furrowed her brow, her eyes still closed. She squirmed again, throwing an arm out and smacking my chest.

"Ness?" I said groggily. I sat up on my elbow and rubbed her arm. "Baby, you okay?"

She whimpered again, and turned on her side away from me. I leaned over and grabbed her arm, gently shaking her.

"Nessie, wake up babe."

She whimpered again, louder this time. I shook my head to wake myself up more and pulled her over to me. She fought me, pushing on my arm and whimpering like she was scared.

"Nessie," I said louder, hoping to wake her up. "Baby, it's time to wake up." I shook her a little harder and suddenly she gasped, sitting up a little. She turned quickly and looked up at me. I smiled and ran my hand up her arm. "You okay?"

She sighed and closed her eyes, dropping herself back down beside me. She snuggled up to me and put her face against my chest.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I guess."

I held her and rubbed her back. "What was it about?"

She didn't answer me for a minute. Finally, she pulled back and met my eyes. "Do you think it means anything special if someone has the same dream more than once?"

I shrugged. "I guess it depends on the dream."

She nodded and ran her fingers over my chest. "What if someone had the same dream since they were fourteen?"

"Every night?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, but at least twice a month. Sometimes more."

I played with her hair and held her tightly. "Is it a scary dream?" I felt like rolling my eyes at myself; nightmares were generally scary.

She shrugged. "It didn't used to be. But for the last two years it's been getting worse. It's like something's coming and in my dream it keeps getting closer and closer. It almost touched me this time." She shuddered and pushed her face into my neck.

"What gets closer?" I asked, holding her tightly and wishing I could protect her from whatever scared her in her dreams.

She sighed and pulled back again. "Since I was fourteen, I've had this dream about a wolf. At first, it was just lurking in the shadows of my dreams. Then, when I was sixteen, it started showing itself, always staying far away and right at the edge of my consciousness. When I was nineteen it started following me everywhere I went. Just out in the open, following me. That went on for a few months before the scenery around me changed, and I've been in a forest ever since. The wolf always stayed back, never getting closer than ten yards or so. But a few nights ago, I dreamed that it chased me and got a few feet away. Tonight I could almost feel its fur. I always trip and it's always right there. I wake up before it really attacks me, though." She shuddered again.

I wiped her cheeks, getting rid of the tears before I kissed her gently. "Whatever it may be, Nessie, I'm here and I promise I won't let anything hurt you."

She smiled and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Most of the dream stuff I read about it says that a wolf in dreams means something bad is coming. I wish I knew what it meant."

"Coming from my heritage, Nessie, a wolf in dreams is not a bad or dangerous thing. It has a message for you or is somehow protecting you." I held her, hoping I could give her some peace of mind.

She nodded and kissed my chest. "Protecting me from what?"

I shrugged. "I wish I knew, baby."

"Have you ever had dreams like that, Jake? Something that sticks with you?" She pulled back and looked up at me.

"I have. For about four years, ever since I learned I was supposed to be chief someday, I've had this dream that I am a wolf. I think it's just an overactive imagination mixed with stories of our past, though." I shook my head, dismissing the dream.

She nodded and pulled herself up to me to kiss my lips. "Thank you for waking me up."

I smiled and kissed her back. "You're welcome. Try to get some more sleep, okay?"

She nodded again, and scooted down to rest her head on my shoulder. "You, too. Love you."

I kissed the top of her head and yawned. "Love you, too."

* * *

I woke up after ten the next morning to an empty bed. I felt Nessie's side of the bed, still half asleep and expecting to pull her over to me. At first, it didn't connect that she wasn't there. I patted the bed and looked up, furrowing my brow when I didn't feel her.

"Ness?" I said, sitting up. Where did she go?

The door opened, and Nessie smiled brightly at me. "Good morning," she called, carrying a mug over to me. "It took me forever to figure out your coffee maker, but somehow I managed." She handed the cup to me, and sat down next to me. "You can tell me if it's awful."

I smirked and took a sip. "It's not bad," I said, nodding in approval. "Thank you. How long have you been up?"

She shrugged. "A little while. You looked so peaceful sleeping, and I couldn't wake you up." She bit her lip and blushed. I put my arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close to kiss her lips.

"Did you sleep okay?" I asked, taking another drink.

She rested her head on my shoulder and nodded. "Yeah. But then I woke up at eight and couldn't go back to sleep. I watched you sleep for like thirty minutes before I finally got up."

I chuckled. "Why?"

She looked up at me and I met her eyes. "Because you're very handsome."

I kissed her, ignoring the impulse to strut for her. "I guess I can't be upset; I watched you sleep for a little over an hour last night after you had your nightmare."

She smiled and blushed. "Over an hour?"

I nodded. "I had to make sure you were sleeping okay. And you're very beautiful." I kissed her again.

She laughed and kissed my neck before standing up. "I made breakfast. I hope that's okay?" She bit her lip.

I got up with her, and followed her to the kitchen. "Of course it is, babe. You have exclusive rights to anything in this house."

She smirked at me over her shoulder and bent over to get something out of the oven. Whatever it was, the smell permeated the air once she got it out and it was divine.

"I made a breakfast casserole," she said proudly, setting the pan on the stove. She stepped back and let me admire her work.

"It looks good. It smells even better. Do you cook often?"

She shrugged as she got some plates and forks out. I smiled to myself; I could get used to seeing her in my kitchen every morning.

"Just for fun, when I have the chance." She dug out a piece and handed me a plate before getting her own. We went to the bar, and she sat beside me. She watched me as I took a bite.

"Wow, this is good," I said honestly. She smiled brightly and started on her own. We ate mostly in silence, just enjoying the casserole and each other's company. When we were through, I helped her clean up and then we went to the living room.

"So what are we going to do today?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I shrugged and held her to me. "I didn't really make any plans. Is there anything you want to do?"

She blushed and looked down for a second. I smiled to myself, hoping her blush meant what I wanted it to mean. She finally looked up at me shyly and smiled a timid smile.

"I guess as long as we spend some time in the bedroom today, I'm up for anything."

I nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure we can fit that in somehow."

She smiled a brighter smile and stood on her toes to kiss me. "Could we fit it in right now?"

"Hell yeah." I kissed her harder, and she grabbed my hands, leading me down the hall.

* * *

"This is so beautiful, Jake," Nessie said as we walked along the cliffs about a half a mile from my house. The sky was overspread with multi-hued gray clouds, and the sea was dark with wild waves smashing against the face of the cliffs. "It must be nice to be able to come here whenever you want."

I held her hand as we walked, and smiled when she would point something out to me like the patterns in the clouds or the wildlife that didn't seem to care we were here.

"I guess it's nice. It's much nicer sharing it with you, though."

She smiled up at me brightly and I squeezed her fingers. She stepped a little closer to me and her smile fell.

"I don't want to go home, Jake," she said softly. It was nearing the end of our day, and I'd have to take her back in an hour.

I stopped walking and pulled her into my arms. "Then stay here."

She shook her head. "I can't. I have to work and go to school and you have work." She squeezed her arms around my waist and I held her tighter.

"So? Stay with me and you can just go to work or school from my house."

She looked up at me and bit her lip. She was quiet for a minute before she finally sighed. "As much as I want to, Jake, I just don't think now is the right time." She shook her head and pushed her face into my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay, baby. Someday I'll change your mind."

She nodded. "Someday; when it's right."

I held her for a few minutes before she sighed again and pulled away. "We have an hour, Jake; what are we doing mourning when we should be taking advantage of it?" She took my hand and started walking again. I smiled and kissed her knuckles as we walked. "Show me around your woods."

"As you wish."

I took her back to my house, taking a leisurely path through the woods, showing her everything I thought she'd find interesting. She was taken in by the beauty of the place, and I loved the look on her face when she found something fascinating to her. She was amazed when I pointed out an eagle's nest in one of the trees. The look of awe on her face was radiant and her enthusiasm made me realize just how lucky I was to be here. I'd never thought of things she saw so easily, like how peaceful it was with just the sounds of wildlife or how magnificent the trees were. They were things I'd known all my life, and yet somehow it felt like I was noticing them now for the first time.

It was starting to get dark when we got back to my house. Nessie got her things together, and I did my best to help her. She didn't have much, and it was bittersweet when she set her things on the couch and turned to me.

"I love you, Jacob," she said, pushing herself into me. I held her tightly.

"I love you, too. If it's okay, I'd like to pick you up from school on Thursday and we can do something."

She nodded and kissed my chest. "I'd like that."

We were both quiet for a moment as I held her, just enjoying the feel of her in my arms. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew it was inevitable. I squeezed her a little tighter, and she squeezed me back for a moment before pulling back.

"We should go." She looked up at me and I wanted nothing more than to take her back to my room and keep her there. I touched her cheek and nodded.

"Okay." I kissed her, and carried her bag to the car with her right behind me.

I tried to keep my groan to myself when I saw Edward's car parked in her driveway. I parked the car, but took a minute to make sure I could keep my temper in check before I walked her up to her door.

"You okay?" she asked, glancing at Edward's car before looking back at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't want any confrontation." I shook my head; confrontation with Edward was inevitable.

She smiled sadly. "You don't have to come up."

I shook my head again. "I'm not going to let him keep me away from you. I want to walk you up there and kiss you goodbye." I squeezed her fingers gently, and finally got out of the car. I carried her bag for her and she took a deep breath before we started our way up to the house. The door opened before we made it all the way, and Bella appeared in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Welcome home, Nessie," she said with disapproval in her voice. I hated that Edward's issues with me had caused Nessie problems with her sister. As I looked between Nessie and Bella, I knew I needed to try to end this. It wasn't fair that Nessie was affected by it, especially now that I knew where to start.

"Hi, Bella," Nessie said, matching her sister's tone. "Can I come in, or are you going to make me stay outside?"

Bella glared at me before stepping back and letting Nessie in. I walked in behind her and I could feel Bella's glower burn through my back. I sighed as Nessie turned to me.

"Thursday, right?" she asked, putting her hands on my chest. I nodded and kissed her.

"Thursday."

"What's happening Thursday?" Bella asked, looking between Nessie and me.

Nessie didn't even look at Bella as she said, "Not that it's any of your business, but we have a date on Thursday."

Bella huffed and Edward appeared in the doorway to the hall. I took a breath to try to control myself and gather my courage at the same time.

"So you decided to bring her home after all?" Edward said. I noticed Nessie roll her eyes.

"Can I talk to you outside, Edward?" I said, looking over at him. Nessie looked up at me, and I tried to smile for her.

"Why?" Edward asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

I stepped back from Nessie and turned to face him. "Because I'm fed up with this. You can torment me all you want, but you leave Nessie alone. Why the hell did you never tell me what happened? If I had known about the job—"

"You knew, Jacob. You knew that I'd gotten it and you just couldn't accept it." Edward came up to me, and I pushed Nessie back so she wouldn't be in the way. She and Bella both stood there and I prayed I could keep this from turning into a fistfight. Anger surged through me at his accusation.

"For god's sake, Edward, if I had known you'd gotten the job I would have declined the offer." I tried hard not to yell, but it was difficult.

"How could you not know, Jacob; I told your sister and I know she tells you everything." He was yelling now.

"Don't you dare bring Rachel into this; she and Paul had enough shit going on with the miscarriage, and you knew damn good and well that she wasn't okay."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Not Rachel, you asshole; your other sister."

I stopped for a minute, not even sure how to react to that. "Rebecca?" I said. He nodded his head like I'd gone crazy. I closed my eyes and turned away for a second just to keep from knocking his teeth out. "You told Rebecca and just expected her to tell me? Edward, she was worse off than Rachel; she got herself hitched and left the state. The only time I've heard from her in the last five years is a postcard saying she made it to Hawaii, and didn't want anything to do with the family anymore."

That seemed to get to him. He rocked backward slightly and his face sobered, no longer angry.

"So, she didn't tell you?" he asked.

I huffed. "No, she didn't tell me!"

"Mike told me you put the application in once you heard I got the job."

I rolled my eyes. "Mike lied; I put the application in three months before we graduated and he turned me down. He called me back after we'd graduated and told me that he'd reevaluated my app. I didn't resubmit anything."

He blinked a few times and sucked in a deep breath. "You really didn't apply just because I'd gotten it?" he asked, furrowing his brow like he wasn't sure what he wanted to believe.

I sighed and held out my hands. "Honestly, Edward, why would I do that? We both had the same degree and if I had known you got the job I would have thrown you a party, not steal it from you."

"Why would Mike lie to me?" Edward asked, getting defensive again.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Why would Mike call me back for the job if he'd already hired you?"

Edward looked down and sighed. He shuffled his feet a little. It would be a while before he accepted what I was saying was true. I didn't expect an apology; Edward wasn't a man to apologize for anything. But I did hope that this at least settled things down for Nessie. I looked over at her she smiled at me. I smiled back; she and Bella were standing together, hands clasped.

"So I guess this means I was wrong," Edward said, still looking down. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at me warily.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Just think it over, Edward. Let it sink in." I went to Nessie and she pushed herself against me. Bella went over to Edward and I briefly wondered what she thought of me now.

"Thank you so much, Jake," Nessie said, kissing my chest. I kissed the top of her head and she smiled up at me.

"I love you, baby."

She nodded and stood on her toes for a kiss.

I left with a final glance over at Edward. He looked truly shaken and an angry part of me hoped he was tearing himself apart. He was nothing if not melodramatic like that.

* * *

When I got home from work on Wednesday, Edward's car was parked in front of my house. I sighed to myself and tried to prepare for whatever it was he wanted. I got out and noticed him getting out of his car, too. He stood by his door, rubbing his neck for a moment before starting over to me.

"Hey, Jake," he said hesitantly, as if he expected me to kick him off my property. In any other situation, I might have, but I had a feeling this had something to do with Saturday when I had taken Nessie home.

I nodded in acknowledgment and stopped on the lawn. He stopped in front of me and took a deep breath.

"I don't really know what to say," he started, finally looking up to meet my eyes. "For so long I thought you'd gone behind my back and betrayed me. I hated you. Now that I know that's not what happened, I don't even know what to feel."

I nodded. "I know what you mean, Edward. I always thought you just up and decided I wasn't your friend anymore and tried to make everyone else think it was something I did. I thought it was intentional, not something like this—not a misunderstanding."

We were both quiet for a moment, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was struggling with himself. Finally he held his hand out.

"No more enemies?" he asked with a smirk.

I took a breath and shook his hand. "No more enemies. And can you tell your girlfriend to back off my girlfriend? Nessie's been taking it pretty hard."

He nodded. "Yeah, I talked to Bella and she understands. From what she told me, she and Nessie had a good talk about it Sunday."

"Good." I was happy to hear that Nessie's war was over. We dropped our hands and it was awkward again for a minute.

"You want a drink?" I wasn't sure if we were friends again yet or not, but I figured we'd have to start somewhere.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

* * *

**~*~NPOV ~*~**

I kissed Jake goodbye Thursday night and bit my lip as I watched him walk back to his car. I shut the door when he pulled out of the driveway, and turned around to see Bella standing by the kitchen door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey, you did decide to come home," she said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes; I'd been out later than I had anticipated.

"Yes, mother," I said jokingly. She chuckled and came up to me for a hug. I hugged her back tightly, glad to finally have my sister back.

"I don't suppose you're hungry at all?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, Jake took me to dinner. Thanks, though."

She nodded and pushed my hair behind my ear. Her smile was maternal and reminded me of our mother's smile. "I'm glad you had a good time."

We walked into the kitchen where she had her dinner set out. I grabbed a plate and nibbled on the chicken anyway, even though I wasn't hungry.

"So, have you seen Edward lately?" I asked, wondering if he'd talked to Jake like he said he was going to. Jake hadn't said anything about the situation other than to ask me how Bella and I were doing.

She nodded. "Yeah, he said he went out there yesterday and they were able to put most of it behind them."

I plucked some more meat off the chicken and nodded as I munched. Bella and I had talked about the whole situation on Sunday and she apologized to me for how she'd been acting. I accepted her apology; I didn't want any more fights in the house, and I just wanted the whole thing over with. Knowing what Edward had thought, it was easy to see that Bella was just trying to protect me. Now she knew what I knew all along; Jacob was a really good man, and would never intentionally hurt someone.

We finished off the chicken and I went to bed, looking forward to Friday night when Jake would come get me again for another Saturday together.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I own nothing. *pout* Thanks so much to betas Akai_in_Story and Dak. It is because of their reassurances that this chapter did not get whacked. Hopefully no one will throw anything at me. I like it, and I guess that's all that really matters.

Anyhoo… This chapter was originally supposed to be the end. There is one more after this. Excited yet? I am. So, for now, let's put up thoughts of Edward or jobs, and focus on a bit of Jake and Ness :)

Follow me on Twitter sheewolf85

* * *

**Aftermath**

Chapter 5

**~*~JPOV~*~**

My hands shook as I walked into my house with Nessie Friday. I was trying to control my nerves, but I knew I was doing a terrible job of it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as she turned to me in the living room. "You seem … stressed. Or something."

I shrugged, trying to loosen up. "I'm fine." The truth was, I was anxious and tense about my plans for this weekend.

I had talked to Bella while Nessie was at school earlier, and even though Bella had some good advice and I knew I wanted Nessie in my life forever, I was terrified that I was going to do something wrong or that she wouldn't accept. It was fast, but I knew what I wanted, and I was sure Nessie could feel it too. Bella's support only marginally calmed my nerves.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me suspiciously. "You don't seem fine. What's the matter?" She came up to me and put her arms around my waist. I held her tightly and took a deep breath. "Is everything okay at work?"

I smiled to myself, this was the perfect excuse. "I've been trying to figure out what happened when Mike was the hiring manager five years ago," I said. It wasn't exactly a lie; I really had been trying to figure that out, but it had nothing to do with my nerves now. "It's not going so well."

She kissed my chest. "You know, Bella or I could help with that. We were talking on Wednesday and she had the idea to go in for a fake interview with Mike and see if we could get any info. We were just joking about it, but I think if you and Edward gave us all the information you have, we could probably pull it off."

I chuckled. "You'd do that for me?"

She shrugged and nodded. "Of course I would."

"I love you."

She stood on her toes for a kiss. "I love you too. But I'm hungry; what have you got to eat?" She pulled away from me, and I followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

I woke up and cracked an eyelid when the bed moved. It was dark, but Nessie's white nightgown and pale skin made it easy to see her form sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. I squeezed my eyes shut and was about to ask if she was okay when she got up and walked quickly to the bathroom.

I sat up, concerned for her, but relaxed a little when she turned on the faucet. At least she wasn't sick. I rubbed my eyes and stood up to check on her.

I stopped when she stood up and put her hands on the side of the sink, looking down. The room was still dark; she hadn't turned on any lights, but the moonlight was coming in from the small window in the bathroom and from the other windows in the bedroom. The white of her nightgown was brighter than anything else in the room, and as I stared at her I remembered the many dreams I'd had.

I was a wolf in these dreams. The ones I'd told Nessie about when she had her nightmare a week ago. There was a woman in the dreams who always had her back to me, wearing a white nightgown that all but glowed in the darkness of the forest. She had dark hair that went down her back.

Nessie shook her head slowly and took a deep breath. Her hair looked almost black in the inefficient light and reached the middle of her back in waves. As I stared at her, I wondered if maybe there was more to my dreams than just old stories and imagination.

She turned off the faucet and wiped her face with a towel before turning around. She stopped short when she saw me, her hand flying to her chest.

"Oh my god!" she cried, grabbing the door with her other hand. "Jacob, you scared me!"

I went to her and pulled her to me. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

She nodded and kissed my chest. "Yeah, I'm okay. I had another dream." She looked up at me and the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. I took her over to the bed and sat down with her.

"Tell me about them again?" I asked.

She sighed deeply and put her head on my shoulder. "I'm in the woods, and there's this wolf following me everywhere I go. Most of the time it stays back, but last week when I was with you I could almost feel it. I had another dream on Wednesday and it was the same thing; I could feel the fur when it ran past me. Tonight … tonight it reached me. I tripped and I felt its nose touch my leg and it growled. When I tried to get up, it stepped over me and growled again. Then I woke up." She shivered and pushed her face into my neck.

I rubbed her arm. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. "What does the wolf look like?"

She took another deep breath and kissed my neck. "It's big and kind of reddish-brown. Like a red wolf, kind of. Its eyes glow gold and it has really big teeth."

I nodded and scooted back to lie down, pulling her down with me. She put her arm around my chest and kissed me again. "Do you remember when I told you that I had dreams where I was a wolf?"

She nodded and leaned up on her elbow to look at me. I pushed her hair back behind her ear and smiled, knowing now, more than ever, that this woman was everything I needed.

"In my dreams, there's a woman there, too. She always has her back to me and I've never caught up to her, but as I'm chasing her I know that there's more to her than just a woman in a white nightgown. She's special somehow. I woke up when you got up tonight and I was going to make sure you were okay, but I had to stop and just look at you. You are identical to the woman I see in my dreams."

Her eyes widened for a second before she pulled back and furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

I sat up with her and reached out to touch her arm. "I mean, it wouldn't surprise me much if you were the woman in my dreams, or if I was the wolf in yours."

She blinked a few times and turned away from me to get off the bed. "Jacob, that's crazy."

I nodded and got off the bed with her. "I know, Nessie. I know it's crazy and I understand if you think I'm totally nuts, but I swear I'm not. What I saw when you were in the bathroom is exactly what I see in my dreams. I know you know there's something more than just physical attraction between us."

She held up her hands and backed up a few steps. "Of course I know there's more than that. I love you, but how could it be you in those dreams when the wolf is trying to attack me?"

"I know you think that, Nessie, but has the wolf in your dreams ever hurt you?"

She shook her head, and when she looked at me her eyes were wide and wet. "No… but it growled."

I wished I could hold her and make her see what I saw. "It's protecting you, honey. Were you hurt when you tripped in your dream?" It was a stretch and I knew it, but I was grasping at straws and just praying that this didn't ruin anything we'd built in the last two weeks.

She stopped for a second and sniffled before she met my eyes again. "Yes. When I tried to get up I fell back down because my ankle was hurt."

"And you had felt it touch your leg? Was it the leg that was hurt?" _Please let her see_.

She sniffled again and put her hands down. "Yes."

I took a few steps closer to her and touched her cheek. "I'm not saying that I know this for a fact, Nessie, I'm just saying it seems a little suspicious to me that I'm a wolf chasing a woman in my dreams and you're a woman being chased by a wolf in yours."

She met my eyes and sucked in a slow, deep breath before she nodded. "I guess that makes sense somehow," she said, reaching out to touch my chest.

I pulled her into me and kissed her head. The whole situation tonight had made me more confident in what I had planned to ask her in the morning. I suddenly wanted to ask her now, but a bigger part of me wanted to give her time to soak in what we'd discovered. It may or may not be true, but either way there was some sort of connection there that was undeniable now. I wanted her to see and know for sure that we belonged together forever, before I gave her the ring I'd bought.

"Come on, let's go back to bed," I said softly. She nodded and kissed me one more time before we both got back into bed. She pushed herself up close to me and I held her tightly, watching her face as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. I prayed I wasn't moving too fast for her. I needed to want to here as much as I wanted it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pushing thoughts of second-guesses away. It was time, and I wasn't going to talk myself out of it.

* * *

I woke up before Nessie the next morning. She was on her stomach, her hair everywhere, the way it had been the first time I'd woken up next to her. I smiled and carefully got out of bed, making sure I didn't wake her up. I had some things I needed to do to prepare.

It was my plan to make her breakfast and present it to her in bed when she woke up; along with the ring I had for her and the ever-so-important question. I got everything out that I needed and cracked a few eggs into a bowl. As I stirred, I heard her footsteps coming down the hall and sighed to myself. Oh, well. It had been a good plan.

"Good morning," she said groggily, stretching in the doorway.

I smiled and turned to her. "Good morning, sexy." I pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Did you sleep okay?"

She nodded and peeked around me at the things on the counter. "I did. Are you making breakfast?"

"Yep. I was going to give you breakfast in bed." I went back to the bowl and she came up next to me.

"Since you can't do that now, can I help?"

I made a quick revision to my plan and then nodded. "Sure."

She took over the pancakes, and I cooked the eggs and sausages. When everything was done we sat at the bar to eat. I let us eat in peace for a bit before I decided it was time to go forward with my plan.

"So I've been thinking," I started. She looked up at me and waited, her eyes big and curious. "The last two weekends – well, three weekends, really – have been some of the best times I've ever had."

She smiled. "Me too."

I touched her cheek and kissed her as I reached into my pocket, hoping to keep her attention away from what I was doing with my hands. She didn't seem to notice and I was able to keep the ring hidden under the bar.

"I would really like to do this every weekend," I said.

She nodded. "I would like that, too, Jake. I love being here with you."

"That's good, Nessie. I'm glad you like it. Because, really, I'd like you to be with me all the time. In fact, I'd like you to be my wife." I turned to face her and held the ring up. "Will you marry me, Nessie?"

She was silent for a few minutes, just staring at the ring. I tried to be patient, pushing back a sliver of doubt. She finally looked up at me and her eyes were wet. A tear fell down her cheek and I got off the stool to pull her toward me.

"I…" she pushed her face into my chest and sniffled. "I don't know what to say."

I rubbed her back. "Say yes."

She pulled back and looked up at me, her eyes shining with happiness and fear at the same time. "I want to."

"What's stopping you?"

She sniffled and looked down for a second. "I'm scared."

"Of what, baby?"

She sighed and rested her head on my chest. "I guess I'm just scared that we're moving too fast. I love you and I want to be with you, but what if it's wrong?" She looked up at me. "What if we're insanely happy for a year and then get so sick of each other that we can't even look at one another?"

I smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "I love you, Nessie. I'd never get sick of you. You know this is right, baby."

She put her arms around my waist and squeezed me. "What would my sister say?"

"She'd say it was about damn time I proved I was serious." Nessie leaned back and looked up at me, her brow furrowed. I shrugged. "I already talked to her about it."

"You did?" She smiled and it seemed that some of her fear was relieved.

"I needed to get some idea on what to do. She's the one that suggested the breakfast in bed."

Her smile widened and she kissed my chest. "I really love you."

I held her for a minute and then my patience was gone. "So is that a yes?" I asked.

She laughed and leaned back. "It's a yes." She held out her hand and I put the ring on her finger. She held up her hand and smiled lovingly at the ring while I felt a surge of pride. This woman belonged to me as much as I belonged to her. She looked up at me and bit her lip.

"So, I guess this calls for a celebration," she said, running her fingers down my chest.

I put my hands on her hips and kissed her. "I know how I want to celebrate."

"Yeah?" Her eyes burned with lust and I picked her up, throwing her over my shoulder, like she said I'd done our first night together.

"Yep."

She giggled as I carried her down the hall to the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Welcome to the final chapter of Aftermath! It's been a fun little ride :) Although, I still don't own anything. *weep*

Thank you so very much to all of my lovely reviewers! You are amazing and I heart every one of you. Thank you also to betas Twimarti and AGirlReckoning.

Enjoy! And remember to review! Follow me on Twitter sheewolf85

* * *

**Aftermath**

Chapter 6

**~*~NPOV~*~**

"So, we're not really new in town, just finally getting around to greeting our neighbors?" I asked, leaning forward to check my appearance in the mirror. Bella was squeezed next to me applying her mascara.

"Yep. It's been a busy few years what with getting settled, finding the right jobs and schools, and such."

Bella and I had come up with a brilliant idea to get Mike's opinion on what happened between Edward and Jacob. Mike's ex-wife, Jessica, was a gossiper in high school, and we hoped that she'd dish the goods if she knew them.

The buzz of the timer went off, and I left the bathroom to get my cookies out of the oven. Cookies always provided a foot in the door, Bella had said. I set them on the oven to let them cool and got a container out to put them in. Bella and I had found out through Jacob and Edward that, while they'd been friends through high school, they hadn't been very close in junior high.

"I was a scrawny computer nerd and he was running with the popular crowd," Jacob had said. I couldn't see him as scrawny, but I guessed he couldn't have had his awesome biceps from birth.

"I was an idiot," Edward said with a smile. "What people thought of me mattered more than it should have. So even though Jake and I had been friends when we were smaller, I was suddenly popular and most of the other popular kids didn't like him. We didn't see each other a whole lot since we went to different schools, and I just avoided situations where we would be in the same place."

"Mike was one of the kids I hung out with a lot," Jacob said. "He was like the epitome of the nerdy white kid, really shy and didn't have a lot of friends. He and I worked on computer projects together, helping each other out with our respective classes. It was over summer break between junior high and high school when I turned sixteen, when I really started filling out and growing up. I guess once I wasn't so scrawny, other kids decided I was okay to hang out with. Mike didn't do so well with the growing up for a few more years, but I still tried to make sure he was included in whatever I did."

After Jacob and Edward had told us about their high school and college days with Mike, I had a sneaky suspicion that Mike really was behind the whole thing. Then we found out that Mike had married Jessica when he was in college, and was divorced six months ago. It seemed the perfect route to get information.

I put the cookies in the container as Bella came out of the bathroom and turned in a circle.

"How do I look?" She was wearing a knee-length, black pencil skirt, and a white long-sleeved sweater. Her hair had been pulled up in a pony tail, and her feet were in plain black pumps.

"You look very trustable."

She smiled and performed a small curtsey. "You look good too."

I smiled and sealed the container. "Thank you." I was wearing the same style pencil skirt but had a blue tank top and heels. We were going for the look of "trusting neighbors", hopefully to get as much information as possible from Jessica. Edward and Jacob were in the living room, both debating whether or not our idea was a good one. Bella and I gave each other a look, and she took my hand as we walked out the door.

Bella knocked on the door and looked down, waiting for the other woman to answer. It took a few minutes, but finally the door opened and a short woman with a young face, wide eyes, and wild dark curls greeted us.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice perky.

"Hi, I'm Nessie Dwyer and this is my sister Bella. We've been living here for a while, but decided it was high time we started to get to know our neighbors." I held out my hand and she took it.

"Oh, hi! I'm Jessica. You guys moved in a few years ago, right?" She stepped back and let us come in.

"Yeah, we've been getting settled in with jobs and school and stuff," Bella said, handing Jessica the container. "We made cookies."

Jessica smiled brightly and took the container. "Thank you. Come on in; I'm not busy right now so we can talk."

She reminded me greatly of the gossip girls I knew in high school; the ones that would talk about anything at any time to anyone. I glanced at Bella; this was a good thing. Jessica led us to her living room and sat down, opening the container and setting it on the coffee table before taking one out.

"So, how do you guys like the area now that you've had time to get to know it?" she asked.

Bella answered, "It's nice. The people seem really nice."

Jessica nodded. "Yes, everyone's really nice. I mean, you have a few assholes, pardon my language, but for the most part everyone's cool."

"How long have you lived here?" I asked.

"All my life, pretty much. I was born in Seattle, but my parents moved out here when I was like two months old. So what do you guys do?"

"I'm in customer service and go to school, and Bella is a receptionist for her boyfriend Edward Cullen."

Jessica's lips tightened, but she managed a smile. "Edward Cullen?"

Bella nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I met him when we first moved to town; he's so wonderful."

Jessica nodded. "He's okay, I guess. I haven't really talked to him much since high school, though. Everybody sort of went their separate ways after graduation. Except Mike and I. Mike Newton and I got married about a year after we graduated. I thought he was all that because he'd gotten this great job with JT Enterprises. It turns out we weren't meant for each other; we were divorced a few months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, offering the standard sympathy.

She waved her hand at me. "Don't be. We had fun together; we just weren't made for the long haul." She seemed okay talking about it, so I braved my next question.

"You said he was at JT Enterprises?" I said, and she nodded. "My fiancé works there; Jacob Black."

A slow smile spread across her face. "Wait, wait, wait," she said, holding up her hands. "You are engaged to Jacob Black"— she pointed at me —"and you are dating Edward Cullen?" She pointed to Bella. We both nodded. She clapped her hands together once and laughed a high pitched squeal of a laugh. "That is so awesome. Do they know they're dating sisters?"

I looked at Bella and we both nodded. "Yeah, they know. They're not too fond of the situation, but we try to keep them separate."

Suddenly she perked up, her eyes betraying her excitement. "Did they tell you what happened?"

Bella and I shook our heads. We wanted to get as much information as possible from Jessica. She clapped again and scooted forward so she was perched on the edge of her seat.

"Ooh, you're going to love this! Okay, so back in grade school, we were all friends. Well, we all knew each other. Jacob and Mike were runts, though; small guys that seemed they'd never add up to much physically. So, we all grew up, and in the last few years of middle school Edward became very popular, and never paid much attention to us 'geeks'. Jacob and Mike were best friends, always working on some computer or another together. They both taught me how to hold my own when it comes to computer maintenance.

"Anyway, so middle school is over and Jacob leaves for the summer on some family trip or something. When he comes back, it's like he's a whole new person. I mean, he grew up." She held her hand up to emphasize the word. I smiled at Bella and she playfully rolled her eyes at me. Jessica continued, "It was like he'd given away the gangly and the acne and became tall and buff in return. Now that he was a serious hunk, all the popular kids wanted him to be in their group. Edward was happy; he and Jacob had always liked each other.

"But Mike… oh, Mike was mad. He fumed, and any time I was with him it was like it was all he could talk about. Why was Jacob accepted into their group and not him? Jacob was just as big a nerd as he was, he just looked different. It got to the point where I almost broke up with him because he was so… irritating." She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"So, anyway, now it's a few years later, we've all graduated from high school and Mike got this job with JT enterprises. The next part is just what I heard from Mike, so some details might be exaggerated." She waved her hand like she was getting impatient with herself. "Anyway, it was like five years ago that they graduated college, right, and Mike was the hiring manager at JT Enterprises. We were dating at the time, but I only saw him every other week or so because we were both so busy. So, Mike handles all of the applications that come in and he noticed one come in from Edward Cullen. Mike hates — to this day, he still hates — Edward Cullen. He didn't want to hire him, but they needed a manager.

"So, Mike goes back through all the applications he has and notices one from Jacob a few months prior. The way Mike tells it, it was like inspiration hit and he knew what to do to get back at them. So, he calls Edward and tells him that he's got the job and to expect to come in on Monday. Then, he turns around and calls Jacob back and says he reevaluated the application and decided he'd be a good manger. That Monday when Edward was supposed to come in, he calls Edward back and tells him not to come in, using the excuse that Jacob had gone in and talked to him and told him all the reasons that he was better for the job than Edward. So naturally, Edward gets pissed like Mike hoped he would, and suddenly Edward and Jacob are fighting. Mike and Jacob weren't ever close friends like they had been in middle school, but I think Mike is proud of himself. Personally, I thought it was a jackass thing to do, but I wasn't talking to either Jacob or Edward at the time. I didn't really think it was my place to hunt them down." She shrugged, finally finishing her story with a sigh.

It was pretty much what I had thought, but it was nice to have confirmation.

Then Jessica clapped again. "Maybe you guys can tell them what happened and they can stop being so horrid to each other?"

I smiled. "I think that would be great." I didn't mention that Edward and Jacob were already amicable again and waiting back at our house together. I also didn't mention the fact that Jacob had already threatened to break Mike's arms if he had anything to do with it. I smiled to myself; Mike should probably hope that either Jacob wasn't serious or that I can talk him out of it.

"Speaking of which, Nessie," Bella began, poking my arm, "We should probably get going. Edward's expecting me to be there in a half an hour."

I nodded and stood up. "It was so nice meeting you," I said pleasantly, holding out my hand.

Jessica stood up and shook it. "You too! Come by and visit often; it's a shame when neighbors don't know each other."

Bella agreed and shook Jessica's hand before we both walked out the door. We walked down to the car, and Bella gave me a grin.

"You know, I kind of hope Jacob does what he said he'd do."

I laughed and got in the car. "He won't. At least, he'd better not. I don't want to get married in a jail."

She smirked at me. "You haven't even set a date yet. He could be out by the time you make up your mind."

I pretended to be offended as she drove back to our house. "Oh, whatever. We'll get married when I'm good and ready to move in with him."

Bella was oddly silent for a moment. "Why aren't you?" she asked, and I could tell she was asking seriously.

I sighed. "Because…it's huge, Bella. What would you do if Edward asked you to move in with him?"

"He already has. I said no."

I nodded. "See what I mean? It's not as easy as it should be."

She took a deep breath and smiled at me. We were both quiet for a moment before she suddenly spoke up. "We should sell the house."

I turned to her, shocked. "What?"

"I'm serious. We should sell the house. Property value isn't getting any better and I should have listened to Jasper when he told me not to buy it. I didn't listen and I did buy it, and now look where we are. We're stuck with a house we don't even need."

My heart rate was climbing, and I was sure there was no way she could be as serious about this as she seemed. "Wait a minute, Bella. You can't mean that. I mean, what if in two years we get divorced like Jessica and Mike?"

"Jessica and Mike weren't meant for the long haul; she said it herself. You and Jacob are. Edward and I are. Can you honestly tell me that you don't see yourself with him for the rest of your life?" She glanced at me, and I tried to steady my breaths. "I know you're scared, but be honest with yourself, Nessie. Do you want to marry Jacob and have his kids?"

I swallowed and felt like running. "Of course I want that." I knew why it was easy for her to ask me these things. It was the same as me pestering her about her relationship with Edward. We both could see what the other couldn't. I could see her relationship with Edward was stable, and the way he looked at her made it seem like he'd lived his entire life just for her. Did Jacob look at me the same way?

"I want that with Edward. I want his kids and I want to raise them with him. Do you want to hide from it just because you're afraid it won't last for eternity?"

I shook my head. Bella pulled up to the house, and I all but launched myself out of the car. I needed to get away from it for a second. Bella caught up to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me into a hug.

"Let's sell the house, Nessie. Let's get rid of it and get into our new lives with the men we love. I'm not saying I'm not scared. I'm terrified too. But you know as well as I do that we're not going to find anyone better than Edward and Jacob."

I hugged her back and nodded. "I know." It made me feel a little better to know that she was scared, too.

"You're my baby sister, Nessie. Would I try to convince you to do something if I didn't believe it was the best option for you? Putting aside all the times I told you to leave Jacob." She smiled and I laughed a little.

"I guess not." I sniffled, suddenly aware that I'd started crying.

"Is everything okay?" Jacob asked, coming outside to see what was going on. I nodded and stepped away from Bella to push myself into him. He held me close and I closed my eyes, relishing in the feel of him holding me. I'd known it all along and had never been able to deny it, but now I felt it stronger than ever before. We truly did belong together.

"Yeah, everything's okay. Bella's just trying to convince me to set a date for the wedding."

"And that made you cry?" he asked suspiciously, pushing me back to meet my eyes. I shrugged.

"Let's go inside and we'll talk about it." I took his hand and we all went back inside. I gave Bella a glance and she smiled at me. She must've known I'd give in. She kissed Edward, and we sat together to talk about what we'd learned from Jessica, plans of selling the house, and moving in with our men.


End file.
